Nash Healey Roadster

It was essentially the first American post-war sports car, although it was build by Briton and American. Today, an interesting model of Nash-Healey starting to be noticed by collectors and it has several reasons.

The first post-war American sports car

Matching numbers and largely original condition

Eligible for a variety of events, including the Mille Miglia

In the collection was recently extended by this interesting and unique sports car, combining the British and American engineering craftmanship accompanied by Italian elegance. Nash-Healey is very specific, certainly a rare car, while this particular piece from 1952 stands out with its extra originality.

Cooperation on production of a new sports car between an Englishman Donald Healey and American George Mason was established on the way across the Atlantic. During the voyage on the ship Queen Elizabeth, both gentleman had know-how of independent sports cars producers, and head of the firm Nash-Kelvinator enough time to arrange. The plan was to send six-cylinder engines from Nash (with three-speed gearbox) to Warkickshire in England, where they were to be associated with the model Healey Silverstone chassis and body design made directly by Healey. And so it happened: production began in December 1950 and soon arrived first success at major competitions: worth mentioning 9th place in class at the Mille Miglia and 4th place overall in Le Mans. But, the new sports car was really expensive – as the flagship, which should inter alia draw attention to the more common models Nash and bring them glory, stood the entire $ 4,063. The first year, only 104 cars were produced, but even so, gained the status of a unique new cars for the rich, but with a very good technique and an open body. Future is related with that…

Mason could not reconcile with the somewhat strange English body styling and therefore used the service of the famous Pininfarina, which was contracted not only to bodywork other models for Nash, but also made a significant improvement on top model, Nash-Healey. Steel body has been replaced by aluminum and the price suddenly jumped even more to $ 5,858. It was really pretty high amount for buying a sports car, seven years after the war. Because in 1952 there were only 150 cars, and until 1954 only 224 pieces of the Pininfarina Roadsters were made in total.

This particular original Nash-Healey belonged to a respected collector until recently, while before that it spent at least 25 years in a garage somewhere in Holland. The numbers correspond to the chassis and bodywork and the engine is also original. Even though it is assumed that the car has got new paint years ago, otherwise it is in good condition. The car starts, rides, but it would need some care, with respect to the fact, that it has been parked for a long time. The car is certainly interesting not only because it comes from a limited series (224 pieces), but also by the fact, that it is genuine. This is an unusual opportunity to acquire rare and unusual car with interesting pedigree, but also a 4.1-liter six-cylinder with two carburetors (which delivers 141 hp) and a three-speed transmission with overdrive (good transmission). The chassis of course corresponds to the period car´s birth – we find the front suspension with wishbones and coil springs, and at the rear, there is rigid axle with coil springs. It has also all round hydraulic drum brakes.